New York Gov. Cuomo visits PharmaSmart

By Alaric DeArment

NEW YORK — Kiosk manufacturer PharmaSmart got a visit from New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo Tuesday as he visited companies that his administration sees as leading the way in the state's economic development.

PharmaSmart was one of two companies in the Rochester, N.Y., area and one of 20 in the state overall to become part of Cuomo's Empire State Development Program.

PharmaSmart COO and general manager Ashton Maaraba said his company, which is preparing to move into a new, 50,000 sq. ft. manufacturing plant, was selected because it's the initiator and developer of a product, and a company that does all its own manufacturing and distribution. "We're a company that basically is leading the new wave of success stories throughout upstate New York," Maaraba told Drug Store News.

Maaraba touted the rising star of Rochester, also home to supermarket chain Wegman's and a community-based healthcare system featuring a collaborative care model that works with local pharmacy retailers, which has seen a number of new companies crop up in the wake of the fall of photography giant Kodak. "Some of the most leading-edge health IT and biotechnology companies are being incubated, so you have an emerging 'Silicon Valley' emerging in Rochester," Maaraba said.